A Bandit's Greatest Treasure
by hurriCADE
Summary: Chloe is the princess of Barden, discontent with her dull and lonely life under her father's watchful eye. Beca is part of a well-known group of bandits, the Bellas, that steal from the rich and give to the poor. But of all the things she thought of taking, she never planned on capturing the princess' heart. AU Bechloe fic.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Just a short introductory chapter; it was gonna be longer, but the second part kinda got away from me, so it became quite lengthy. I've been tossing the ideas around for this fic for quite while, but I didn't actually think I was gonna do it; here I am now though xP Hopefully it hasn't been done already; it probably has though. I'm sorry if it has:{/ **

**Ugh, multichapter fics always give me such anxiety DDDx I hope this fic turns out okay. I apologize if it doesn't.**

**Side note, I'm sorry for any inaccuracies; it's not solidly set in the medieval times, but it is loosely following it. I'm doing my best, but Google can only be so helpful.**

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own it. Never did own it.**

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Beca spread a tattered map out carefully in the dirt, securing it with a few rocks on the corners before grabbing a nearby twig on the ground. The rest of the girls crouched down to circle around the paper quietly, the setting sun's rays illuminating the map's contents with a gentle orange glow. The bandits were stationed atop a hill overlooking the town of Barden, but more importantly, they had a perfect overview of the Barden King's castle, standing tall and proud at the far end of town.

"Okay Bellas. Everyone knows which route we're taking, right?" Beca asked in confirmation, raising an inquiring brow.

"We're approaching the castle through the forest, then entering through the side window by the back corner in the security's blind spot," one of the other girls, Jessica, recited, earning sounds of agreement from some of the other girls.

The brunette leader nodded in approval. "Yes, exactly. The whole castle is heavily guarded, but that one back corner, as long as we approach it from the forest at a certain angle and stay behind the rocks, the guards shouldn't be able to see us," Beca clarified to the group, pointing out their route on the map with the small branch. Once she was sure the girls understood, she glanced off into the distance, shielding her eyes with her hand as she gauged the sun's positioning. "It's about seven o'clock now. The guards switch off at seven forty five for the night shift, and since the prince from Baton Rouge is down to visit, all the occupants of the castle should remain in the Great Hall after dinner to socialize and entertain. Once we get in, we'll have about two minutes to get into the king's chamber, get our loot, and get out before the night shift guards assume their stations. Any questions?"

"Umm, yeah no, what are we after again?" a bigger girl, better known as Fat Amy, asked, putting her hand up with her question.

"The Mortix Elixir," Beca stated, her face focused and serious as she made eye contact with each of the girls in her group. "Word on the street is that the prince brought a shipment of it with him. A single drop of it can heal that mysterious deadly illness that's been sweeping Barden, and if we get our hands on it we can help the poor who would't be able to afford it at the king's greedy price. Plus, while we're in there we can grab some of the royal jewels too. We can sell those to the thieve's guild from the next town over; my friend Lilly is one of the leaders, so I've got some pretty good connections to them. Do you know how many people we could feed with that kind of loot?"

"Wait, why are we going for the king's chamber instead of his keep?" a darker skinned woman - Cynthia Rose - voiced, her confusion evident. "The treasury room sounds like a better place to look."

"If I know anything from my time in this world, it's that royals don't actually keep any of their really valuable stuff in the treasury," Beca said. "On the case that their castle is attacked, the treasury is the first place anyone is going to go. Most of the objects in the there are most likely to be decoys and cheap stuff. Royals like to keep their most valuable possessions in the area that's most heavily guarded, and since the king's chambers are the most heavily guarded..."

"That's where he keeps his valuables," Cynthia Rose finished, grinning at Beca's logic. "Very smart."

"So we go for the Elixir and the royal jewels then," another woman, Denise, spoke in confirmation.

"Yup," Beca spoke with a nod, holding up four fingers. "And remember the four 'gets' of thievery, girls: Get in, get the loot, get out, don't get caught. Is that it?"

"Yeah, how come we're doing such an ambitious mission without Stacie?" a taller girl, Ashley, asked tentatively, offering a weak smile. "I mean, no offense, you're a good leader, but Stacie... I mean, she's our normal leader. And I know you two are sisters, but it feels odd not having her here. Where is she?"

Beca stared at Ashley for a moment before her eyes drifted to take in the confused and curious looks of the other bandits. After a few moments, Beca lowered her gaze, pulling her bandit hood up to shadow her face.

"Let's get moving, we don't have much time," she spoke tersely, rolling up the map and cramming it in her bag. The other girls sensed the tensing change in the atmosphere, and they all stood without a word, exchanging silent questioning gazes amongst each other. Beca paused and let out a sigh after a moment as she turned to gaze at the setting sun, a distant look in her eye. "Look, I'll tell you guys later, okay?" she spoke again, softer this time. "I promise I will, but not right now, okay? Right now we... we need to go. Judging by the sun's position it's about seven thirty. We're burning daylight."

The girls seemed to understand that the subject should not be pushed, and though they were still curious about the whereabouts of their original leader, they spoke no more of it.

"Lead the way, cap," Fat Amy asserted, gesturing forward with her hand. With the Bellas all casting her encouraging grins, silently and readily awaiting her leadership, Beca couldn't help but love the rag-tag group of bandits even more, and she offered a light smile and a nod to the girls before turning her determined steel blue gaze back to the castle in the distance.

"To Beale Castle."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I've lost my writing edge or something, I swear. Ugh. The irony of going to college for writing, you don't have the time to write, and lose your writing edge/inspiration. Like, for serious, I haven't been able to write very well since college, at least in my opinion. Everything is rubbisshhhh. Blegh, I hope this chapter doesn't suck too horribly. I'm sorry if it does.**

**I apologize for the wait.**

**DISCLAIMER: Yes. Wait, no. Nope. Don't own it.**

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Aubrey let out a breath as she finished sliding the last freshly baked loaf of bread out of the oven, using her knee to nudge the hot oven's door shut. She analyzed the loaf with a careful scrutinizing gaze, making sure it was correctly shaped and coloured a perfect golden brown, and once she had deemed it with a silent nod of approval she moved to set it with the other loaves on the cooling rack. Placing the pot holders she had used into a nearby drawer, she moved to switch the oven off, wiping away a bit of sweat from her brow with her arm.

Aubrey Posen was the head of the kitchen at Beale palace, and she prided herself in her work, knowing not many at such a young of age as her would have such a high ranking job as she did. She had worked hard to get where she was; most assumed that since she was so young, and in such a high position for her age, that her father had helped her get where she was, but that was not the case. Aubrey simply knew how to apply herself, and knew the right people to get somewhere with it.

The door connecting the kitchen to the grand hall suddenly swung open, and none other than Chloe Beale entered the room, clad in a fancy royal blue princess dress and high heels. Her brows were furrowed, and an exasperated sigh escaped her lips as the grand hall's door swung closed behind her. Aubrey immediately straightened her back at the sight of the princess, standing at attention.

"Princess Beale-"

"You can relax, Bree, my dad's not with me," Chloe cut the blonde off quickly, a light reassuring smile grazing her lips. While the king did not approve of Chloe speaking to 'the help' in such an informal and friendly manner, she was only human, and with no one but the palace servants around most of the time, she had become rather close with some of the workers of the castle, especially Aubrey, since they were so similar in age. They had grown close quite quickly, easily becoming best friends with all the time they were able to spend together.

"Oh," Aubrey said, letting out a breath as her shoulders slumped. Chloe smiled at her best friend, but Aubrey could tell the princess was slightly distracted, and she watched with sympathetic eyes as Chloe leant against the island counter with a tired huff. "How's the social evening with prince dingaling?" she asked, already knowing the answer from Chloe's demeanor.

"He's so arrogant Bree, I can hardly stand him! All he can do is talk about himself and how 'awesome' and 'charming' he is, and he keeps saying all these pig-headed comments toward me and trying to put his hands where they shouldn't be. I had to get away for a few minutes," Chloe ranted, running a hand through her hair. "I know my dad's trying to set me up with him; he simply adores Tom for some reason. And since Tom's already of royal blood he's apparently the 'perfect match' for me. But I don't like him that way, you know?"

Aubrey scoffed, nodding in understanding. "Doesn't matter how cute or rich he is if he's an arrogant dirtball."

"Right?" Chloe said, gesturing at Aubrey with a 'thank you!' expression.

Aubrey chuckled. "So what are you gonna do then?"

The princess groaned, dropping her head into her hands. "I don't know. I mean, if I can't stand to be in the same room with him for like ten minutes, how on earth am I supposed to marry him like my dad intends?" The blonde gave her best friend a sympathetic look, knowing there was little she could do to help the princess with this issue. A small idea struck the cook, and she turned away from the distraught redhead for a moment.

Chloe heard Aubrey begin to maneuver expertly around the kitchen - a few cupboards and drawers being opened and a knife clattering in the sink - before she heard something being slid in front of her at the counter, and a small smile flitted across Chloe's lips as she looked up from her hands to see a warm, freshly baked piece of bread sitting in front of her on a small plate.

"I know it doesn't really help you with your problem," Aubrey chuckled lightly, "but it's the best I can do. Plus, I know you love fresh bread."

"This smells so amazing," Chloe said with a grin, picking up the lightly buttered treat. "Thanks Bree."

"No problem," Aubrey smiled, grabbing her own slice of bread.

"A toast! To eating your problems away," Chloe held hers up in Aubrey's direction, grinning lightly at her own joke. The blonde laughed at the redhead's ridiculousness, but went along with it anyway, bumping her piece of bread against Chloe's.

"A toast," Aubrey repeated, rolling her eyes. "To the princess'es ridiculous puns."

Both girls bit into their bread, and Chloe let out a hum of delight at the delicious buttery taste that practically melted in her mouth.

"Gosh Aubrey, your food is always so... Mnnghh," Chloe moaned, her eyes closed as she savoured the taste. Aubrey laughed.

"I'll take that as a compliment," the blonde said, watching Chloe nod vigorously.

Just then the two women heard approaching footsteps from the door on the other side of the kitchen, the entrance that led to the hallway, and they quickly wolfed down their bread at the familiar voices of King Jefferson Beale and his right hand knight Sir Jesse deep in conversation. Aubrey wiped down the counter in record time, tossing the wet cloth and the plates into the sink just as the door was pushed open. The blonde straightened up, folding her hands behind her back and standing at attention.

"Our men are stationed to ambush, now we just need to make sure the queen and the princess are safe," Jesse spoke to Jefferson in a serious tone as they pushed through the door.

"Safe from what?" Chloe questioned, Jesse's words snagging her attention. Both men's eyes flew up to Chloe and Aubrey, surprise evident on their faces.

"Chloe, why are you in here?" the king asked as his eyes flickered warningly at Aubrey, causing the blonde to bow her head. "Shouldn't you be in the grand hall with your mother and Tom? That prince came all the way here to spend time with you, and instead you're in here goofing around with the lower class."

"Daddy, what's happening? Is there going to be an attack on the palace?" Chloe asked as she took a step forward, ignoring his questions.

"There's no time to explain. I need you to go back in there, _now_. I'll be stationing guards at all entrances of the grand hall, so you and your mother will be safe, I promise," Jefferson said, gently guiding the protesting redhead toward the hall doors.

"Safe from what?" Chloe persisted, trying to resist his usherings.

"Chloe, just do as I say. Go. Now," the king said. "And please, not a word of this to your mother."

"I'll keep it a secret if you tell me what's going on," she insisted, moving away from her father and looking at him expectantly. Normally she wasn't so defiant of her parents, at least not to their faces, but she hated having things kept from her. She spent day after day cooped up within the castle's boring walls. Now that excitement was presenting itself, not only the word of it but apparently coming to the castle itself, she _had_ to know what was happening.

"Chloe I don't have time for games," he said, his voice irate.

"Then you better hurry and explain," Chloe responded with a shrug, crossing her arms. The king huffed at Chloe's words, an aggravated look in his eye as he stared down his daughter; Chloe didn't falter, holding her ground as she stared at her father expectantly.

"Your majesty, I hate to pressure you, but time is of the essence," Jesse inserted gently, keeping his head bowed. Jefferson sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he caved.

"We've purposefully let slip to the public about a special package we've received to the castle in hopes of attracting the attention of an incessant bunch of bandits in Barden," he began to explain quickly, moving to gently tug his daughter toward the grand hall entrance again. "They cover their trail well, and we aren't even sure they're coming tonight, but since the prince just arrived today, there's a good chance that if they decide to strike it'll be tonight."

"And you plan to, what? Catch them?" Chloe asked. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"We hope to catch them off guard," Jesse chimed in. "The Bellas do not know we are aware of their plans, and we hope to station the men inside the treasury for a surprise attack."

"The Bellas?"

"We have answered all that there is to be answered," Jefferson stated, shutting down her further questioning. "So for now, my princess, please go back into the grand hall and socialize with that charming prince until I return. And remember, don't tell your mother or our guest what is happening. I've got the situation all under control, and we wouldn't want to worry them."

Chloe huffed as her father to ushered her through to the grand hall, the kitchen door swinging closed behind her before she could say anything else. Feeling two pairs of curious eyes on her, the redhead's gaze fell onto the big grand table where her mother and Tom were awkwardly seated.

"Ah, my princess. Come, sit," Tom said with a cocky grin, patting the table spot next to him where Chloe had been sitting before.

"Everything okay dear?" the queen, and Chloe's mother, asked, seeing the odd expression on Chloe's face.

"Yes mom, I just..." Chloe looked thoughtful for a second. Though she knew it probably wasn't the best idea, it was the first sign of excitement she'd seen in a long time, and anything would be better than remaining here all evening with the prince. "I'm, uh... Can you guys stay here and, like, not leave? I need to check something. Don't move, I swear I'll be right back," Chloe excused herself, hurriedly heading out the big doors that led to the hallway, and leaving her poor redheaded mother to once again entertain the arrogant prince.

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**A/N: Whatcha think? I always seem to struggle with the second chapter of things; hopefully the next chapter isn't so awkward/difficult for me to write.**

**Random question for you guys, does your screen name have any super special sentimental meaning behind it? Or did you just pick it just cuz? Did you pick it cuz it was cool? Was it a random pick cuz nothing else was available? This particular pen name was rather random; I just picked it cuz my first lesbian ship was Cade (which kinda made me realize some things for myself I guess, so it does have some meaning). My main pen name is usually sinomin tho, which I got when I was younger; the first pet I really lost and was hurt/upset about was a cat I'd named Cinnamon, but since I was young I couldn't spell it properly xP I started using it as a username on things, and it just kind of stuck. What about you? What's your username mean to you?**

**Review responses:**

**Reda V: I'm glad to have sparked your interest. Hopefully I can keep your interest:3**

**cxcxcx386: Lol well hopefully it didn't disappoint once you did read it! I'm glad to hear you were so excited about my AU. Hopefully it lives up to your expectations:3**

**Kartoffel: I'm glad you have so much faith in me haha. Hopefully this chapter wasn't horrible; sorry for the wait!**

**YouJustGotPitchSlapped: Haha I'm very glad to hear that it isn't too similar to another fic. Thanks for the reassurance! Your review was totes my favourite:P I hope this chapter was just as good; sorry for the wait!**

**Ezri Dax: Haha I'm glad to have snagged your attention! Hopefully I can keep it now, heh. Sorry for the wait:3**

**RadforR: Sorry for the wait! Hopefully this chapter was just as interesting:3**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm sorry I'm so rubbish at thisssss! I wanted to post this a few days ago, but my wifi was not being convenient to me:/ Hopefully this chapter doesn't completely suck.**

**Sidenote, has anyone seen that pic of Aubrey's name on a whiteboard in the mass of Pitch Perfect 2 pics that have emerged? I hope they aren't just teasing us! I mentally flipped out in joy when I saw that:O Can't have Pitch Perfect 2 without Aubrey! Or any of the main three girls! Hell, just make a movie with Aubrey, Beca, and Chloe and I'd be happy. They don't even have to do anything, just have them sit there and eat crackers for all I care. I'd be so happy.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own it, unfortunately. Used to, but the girls didn't want to sit there for an hour and a half and fufill my cracker-eating plot, so. *shrugs***

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"Omfh."

Beca fell to the hallway floor with a quiet thud, a look of mild annoyance crossing her face as she stood and brushed herself off. She turned to peer down from the window she had just come through. "I said hoist me up _gently_," she whisper-shouted to the group below, specifically Fat Amy, who had rather unceremoniously launched her through the palace window.

"You wanted up, I got you up," the blonde whispered back with a shrug. She turned to the rest of the group. "Who's next?"

With Fat Amy lifting the girls to the window, and Beca helping them into the castle, the Bellas made it inside in record time, Cynthia Rose and Denise helping to pull Amy up through the window afterward. Once they were all safely in, Beca resumed leading the group, pressing her finger to her lips.

With the stealth and silence of well-practiced bandits, they crept quickly through the castle, peering around every corner and down every hallway to watch for guards. When they reached the heart of the castle, Beca put her hand out to halt the group, and they all held their breath as they heard a couple of male guards speaking just around the corner.

"Do you think the king's plan'll even work?" one man asked doubtfully.

"I dunno, how could it not?" the other guard responded. "He's got basically all the men stationed in the treasury. The Bellas won't know what hit 'em, and there's no way they can take all of the guards at once. Plus, even if they do get away, he's got all the valuable stuff hidden in his chambers. The Bellas aren't getting anything tonight."

Beca smirked at the king's predictability, casting a silent grin and thumbs up to the rest of the Bellas behind her.

"Man, I dunno why we can't be stationed in the treasury too," the other man responded with a groan. "I don't wanna be stuck standing outside the grand hall playing babysitter, I want in on the action too!"

"Quit whining," the other guard responded, though their voices were beginning to fade out as they went further down the hall. Beca was just able to make out something about protecting the royal family in the grand hall before the voices went out of earshot, and the bandit shook her head with a chuckle. Royals really were too predictable.

The Bellas were able to find their way to the royal chambers without anymore interruptions, and Beca silently turned the knob and pushed the door open to the king and queen's room, peering around cautiously. Deeming the room safe from any guards or royals, the brunette ushered everyone in, quietly shutting the door once the last Bella had entered.

"Okay, grab as much as you can, as fast as you can. Two minutes," Beca instructed in a loud whisper, watching the girls fan out around the room to scout for any treasures they could find. "Anything that looks valuable probably is. Don't grab anything that'll weigh you down too much though; doesn't matter what you're able to loot if we can't make it out alive with it."

While the Bellas claimed the valuables they could, Beca peered around the room analytically, wondering where they could have placed the infamous Mortix Elixir. Contemplating briefly what to do, she pressed her ear to the door, making sure no one was coming before she stepped away from the door and began to quickly scour the room, grabbing random valuables off shelves and stuffing them in her rucksack as she went.

On her second walk around the chamber, she stopped as she noticed an odd outline, a small square, on the floor in the far corner of the room. The lines were barely visible, blending in nicely with the floorboard pattern, and Beca shouldered her bag as she knelt down to tap her knuckles against it, her lip upturning as she heard the hollowness beneath it. Her suspicions were confirmed when she pried at the corners, revealing a small secret compartment where a few tiny vials of clear liquid were lying. The Mortix Elixir.

Beca grinned widely at her find, carefully snatching up the vials and slipping them into the hidden pocket inside her tunic. Once she was sure they were secure, she closed the compartment again, standing and heading back to her post at the door to listen for people and watch the other bandits.

However, she was not anticipating the door to fly open, and her eyes barely caught a glimpse of fiery red before a soft body collided with her own.

* * *

While Chloe was quite the free spirit, never one to let herself be kept down by royal standards and expectations, she was still a girl defying her parents, and the redhead knew she most certainly did _not _want to be caught snooping around when her father specifically told her to stay in the grand hall.

So when she heard a couple of guards quietly conversing as they approached, Chloe quite comically darted around the nearest corner, pressing her back against the wall. Their footsteps seemed to be going in the direction she had just come from, and she listened in to their muttered conversation curiously while she waited for them to pass.

"Quit whining," one voice stated, sounding slightly annoyed with the other guard. "Protecting the royal family in the grand hall is just as important. We're protecting the most valuable things in the castle; the other guards are protecting cheap replicas and decoys. Think about it."

"I guess you're right," the other guard responded with a sigh. "I never looked at it that way."

"Of course I'm right," the first one said smugly. "Now c'mon, we were supposed to be at our post like five minutes ago."

As the voices faded off, Chloe couldn't help but grin at her luck, realizing those were the guards that were supposed to be watching the grand hall entrance. No wonder there were no guards to stop her from leaving the room; if she had been five minutes slower, her rebellious exploration may have been halted.

Taking a quick peek around the corner to make sure the coast was clear, Chloe began down the hallway once more, keeping herself on high alert for anyone who may be also be lurking. However, there didn't seem to be anyone else around, no sign of any guards or bandits as far as she was concerned, and the light click of her heels was the only sound she could hear in the maze of hallways.

Suddenly a mass of footsteps began to echo thunderously, approaching at an alarming rate; Chloe silently panicked, running to the first room she saw as she tried to cushion her footsteps. Despite her attempts, her shoes clicked at a cringe-worthy volume, and she briefly wondered why she ever thought this was a good idea, and why the hell she hadn't thought to slip her shoes off, as she shoved hurriedly through the doors. However, her heart leapt in surprise as she suddenly collided with a small tunic-clad torso, whose arms instinctively moved to catch the redhead and steady both of them. The body felt soft and lithe beneath her own, smelling of earth and grass, and the princess' eyes snapped up to be met with the slim outlining of a surprised face shadowed beneath a big black hood.

"Wha-...w-who are you?" Chloe stuttered, breathless from her running. Were these the dreaded bandits her dad had been talking about? The hooded figure didn't answer, instead removing their hands quickly from the redhead and cursing under their breath as they realized the girl currently pressed against them was in fact the princess of the castle they were invading.

"Bellas, fall back!" the bandit ordered to the other hooded figures in the room, and Chloe was surprised at the stranger's feminine voice. "We need to-"

The doors suddenly burst open again, and the prince stood in the doorway, a few knights behind him. Seeing a hooded figure in front of Chloe, Tom grabbed the readied bow and arrow from the guard next to him.

"Don't worry princess, I'll save you!" he hollered, cocking the arrow back and sloppily aiming it before letting it fly, not seeming to care at all if he hit the redhead. Chloe gasped at this before she was suddenly thrown to the side by the stranger, pain flaring through her wrist as she landed unceremoniously on the floor. She looked up to see the stranger clutch their shoulder, arrow angrily protruding from it; the hooded figure suddenly lunged forth, launching all their body weight into Tom to tackle him out of the room. The prince fell back into the hallway with a grunt, and the stranger slammed the doors shut, pressing their body against the doors as the guards began banging on it from the other side.

"Bellas, retreat!" the stranger ground out, still cradling their shoulder as they held the door shut. The other bandits hesitated.

"But-" another bandit started to protest.

"_I'll be fine! __GO!_" the stranger shouted through clenched teeth, desperately using all their force to hold the door, which was now bouncing with the force of the guards slamming from the other side.

Chloe watched, frozen in place as the other hooded figures quickly slipped out the window with practiced ease, and the assumed leader checked to make sure the whole group had made it out before letting out a sigh, allowing their hold on the door to relent. The door flew open immediately, and the small figure was flung to the floor with a groan of pain. Their hood flew off back as their head made impact with the floor, and a gasp escaped Chloe's throat as she saw the petite female's face; steel navy eyes flew up to meet Disney blue, and the stunned princess' face was the last thing the bandit saw before the guards were on her, and everything went black.

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**A/N: ...Well, what did you think? What do you think'll happen next? Constructive criticism? Things I could improve on? Thoughts on the weather? Editing pointers? Tell me:3**

**Random question (do you guys even like my random questions? That wasn't the random question though, that was another random... random question.) how do you guys eat your pancakes? I'm genuinely curious; I always thought everyone had syrup on their pancakes, and people were just exaggerating that Canadians had syrup on lots of things, but this british guy I met had powdered sugar or something on his pancakes and I was just all "whaaaa... what is this witchcraft? No syurp?" So now I'm curious! How do you eat your pancakes, waffles, french toast, etc? I have syrup and butter on mine (which I thought was standard for everyone until recently xP I'm such a stereotypical Canadian haha).**

**REVIEW RESPONSES:**

**Reda V: Haha dont worry, I could never forget my fandom! My fandom IS my life:3 I'm on summer break right now, so I'm not in school at the moment, but I still find that school knocked the inspiration right out of me either way heh. The struggles of a writer xP**

**ballpointmf: Thanks, glad you like it so far. Sorry for the wait; hope this chapter didn't suck too much:P**

**wishgrantingfactories: I'm happy to hear you find it interesting so far! Hopefully I can keep it that way and maintain that interesting...ness xP **

**Defying-gravy: Haha I like your username xP I'm glad to hear you find my story interesting! Sorry for the wait for this chapter:P**

**blue-wasabi24: Heh, aww, that's kind of a really sad but sweet story. The name of the restaurant has sentimental value to you, even if the place itself doesn't:3 Have you ever been curious, even in passing thought, of going to find and eat at blue wasabi, after referencing it's name so much? Just wondering:)**

**Kartoffel: Heh, well you don't get much of them meeting in this chapter, but their worlds do collide in this one, no pun intended:P Next chapter will have a bit interaction though, I swear. Shipper's honor:3**

**YouJustGotPitchSlapped: Thanks for the reassurances; glad to know my writing hasn't completely gone to rubbish yet xP Sorry for the wait (again) for this chapter; hopefully the next one's up a bit faster, heh.**

**Ezri Dax: Thank you for the characterization tips! I was actually planning on doing that kind of thing with Tom's character, haha; how did you know? (probably cuz it's been done before and I'm somewhat cliche xP) I'm hoping - and slightly stressing out because of it - that I can get such characterizing down for him, cuz I want it to be believable. Mehhhh. I'm only having him act/put on a front in the presence of the King though, which is why he was still being all arrogant in the last chapter. Thank you so much for your help and such though; I appreciate any constructive criticism I can get:3**

**Over Worked Witch: Glad to hear my writing hasn't completely gone to rubbish yet; thanks for the reassurance:3 I definitely agree too; Chloe and Beca totes made out at the end of Pitch Perfect. Ain't nobody got time for Jesse:O I liked your thought behind your username haha; someone could ask about an update and you could just be all 'didn't you read my username?' xD Much like haha.**

**London In Terror: Hmm, if it's a good enough song to have a username dedicated to it, it must be pretty awesome; maybe I'll have to check it out:3**

**RadforR: Heh, well they _kinda_ meet in this one. But not really. Sorry xP Next chapter though, I swear! Shipper's honor:3**

**cxcxcx386: Thank you, I'm very glad to hear that I've got the characterization down pretty well; I always worry about that:3 Haha you don't need to be shy to ask me things, I ask my readers random questions all the time, so I'd have to be open to answering some myself, eh? ;P I agree; username and password creating has become quite ridiculous; needs capitals and lowercase and numbers and letters and symbols and mountains and deserts and at least seven cat breeds. Like my gosh, I just want to create ONE account xD Ain't nobody got time for this!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Aaaay:D This chapter was such a struggle. And probably OOC. I succckkk.**

**By the way! Thought I'd tell you Aubrey/Anna Camp's been confirmed for Pitch Perfect 2! And I think I freaked out in joy when I saw that! Just so you know:3**

**There's also a contest up on Facebook, where you can enter for a chance to win a visit to the Pitch Perfect 2 set! I mentally flipped my shit when I saw that too:3 I already entered; you guys should check it out! Tell me if ya win:) I'd love for any of us aca-nerds to win it.**

**DISCLAIMER: Nope. Otherwise I wouldn't need to enter the contest. Well I could, but you know. It'd be weird to enter if I already owned it. Mehhhh I wanna win that contest so bad D:**

* * *

Chloe stood by her father and a smug-looking Tom while she absentmindedly rubbed her wrist, watching as a couple guards cuffed the unconscious bandit and tossed her unceremoniously into one of the castle's prison cells before slamming the barred door.

"Nice work, son," Jefferson praised the prince, patting him on the shoulder as they both glanced at the thief's figure with distaste. "We may not have caught them all, but we got the leader. We can hold her in here until we figure out what to do with her."

"It was my pleasure sir," Tom responded in an overly pleasant voice, puffing out his chest as he glowed under the king's praise. "Anything to save your beautiful daughter."

Chloe felt a twinge of annoyance at the two men as her father chuckled, grinning in approval. "Ah, yes. How chivalrous of you, Tom. My daughter is lucky to have you in her life to save her from trouble. Chloe, did you thank this heroic young man?" Both men turned their attention to the princess, who had yet to look at either of them.

"Aren't you going to take the arrow out of her shoulder?" Chloe asked instead, her gaze on the bloody weapon still embedded in the unconscious bandit's shoulder. It irked her at the thought that Tom had nearly shot the redhead with his recklessness, and Chloe couldn't help but feel slightly responsible for the bandit's injury since, for some unknown reason, the thief had pushed her out of harm's way.

"Chloe, don't be silly. The thief was robbing us of our valuables. An arrow to the shoulder is the least she deserves," Jefferson scoffed, looking scornfully at the unconscious prisoner again. "If only we'd caught the rest before they made it out with our possessions."

"At least you were able to get back _this_ thief's loot," Tom reminded the king politely, holding up the sack full of valuables that had been slung over the bandit's shoulder. "And when you catch the other Bellas, you may be able to get the rest of your belongings back."

"_If_ we catch them," Jefferson sighed, running his hand through his short brown hair.

"Oh I'm sure you will, sir," the prince reassured him, a bit too over-enthusiastically. "A man as brave and intelligent as you is guaranteed to. After all, you already caught the leader."

The king nodded slightly at the prince's sugary words, a small proud grin adorning his face. "That's right, I suppose I did."

"Suck up," Chloe muttered. She was becoming thoroughly annoyed with Tom's overly polite and pleasant front, especially since he had not at all been this respectful when her father wasn't present.

"Chloe that's enough," Jefferson snapped, having heard her muttered remark. "I haven't forgotten about the stunt you pulled tonight, and I am very disappointed in you young lady. I will be speaking to you later," he warned. Chloe said nothing, her tightening jaw the only indication that she had heard him as she kept her eyes trained on the unconscious heap behind the cell bars. "Now come on, let's all go back to the grand hall and enjoy the rest of our evening. Perhaps a few celebratory drinks are in order."

The king began ushering everyone out of the room of prison cells, a guard shutting the door behind them as they stepped out into the hallway. The king and Tom began recapping the prince's act of bravery, Tom's ego getting unnecessarily fluffed again as a cocky grin melted through his front of humbleness. However, as they began in the direction of the grand hall, Chloe hesitated in the hallway, falling behind. Her mind was stuck on the recollection of the Bella pushing her out of harm's way, saving her and taking the hit instead, and while this didn't necessarily put the thief on 'trustworthy' level, Chloe couldn't help but think the least she could do was take it out. She would just sneak in there, pull out the arrow, and get back out before anyone saw her; after all, the bandit was unconscious, what could she do? She wouldn't even have to know. "I'll catch up with you guys," she told them when she noticed the men had stopped to look back at her questioningly. As her father's expression melted into a look of skepticism, she hastily added, "I need to go to the bathroom."

"Don't be too long," her father warned. Chloe nodded, wide innocent grin in place, and Jefferson eyed her for another heavy second before turning and continuing down the hall with Tom and the guards. Chloe feigned toward the direction of the bathroom, but once the men had turned the corner she quickly strode back to the jail room door, quietly pushing through.

The bandit was still lying in a crumpled heap on the ground, brunette hair splayed out across her face. Now that Chloe was facing the cell door, she became hesitant; why the hell was she doing this? This girl was considered a notorious thief, most likely a rather dangerous force to be reckoned with. But at the same time, the redhead found this hard to believe, especially as she remembered how the bandit had saved not only Chloe, but the rest of her team, sacrificing herself to make sure the rest of the Bellas made it out to safety. It seemed rather selfless, which was an odd trait for a thief to have, and with this mindset, the redhead grabbed the keys off the hook on the wall, opening the cell door and shutting it behind her with a clang.

The princess knelt down on the cold stone floor in front of the unconscious Bella, who looked much smaller now that Chloe was next to her. Brushing the chocolate hair from out of the thief's face, Chloe absentmindedly admired the girl's facial features now that she could see them without the hood. This girl was rather pretty, and the princess couldn't help but think how much less intimidating the bandit looked; she seemed much more human now, much more vulnerable, no longer the notorious thief everyone supposed her to be.

Chloe's eyes drifted to the brunette's red-stained shoulder, the reason she was here in the first place, and she winced as she got a closer look at the bloodied weapon embedded in the bandit's flesh. It looked quite painful, and the redhead moved forward, carefully wrapping her hand around the arrow.

* * *

Beca was jolted awake as a flare of pain rippled through her shoulder, and she let out a hiss of pain and surprise. Chloe jumped back as she let the now-free arrow clatter to the floor, startled by the bandit's sudden response. She watched with a mix of fear and curiosity as the bandit, still dazed from sleep, tried to clutch her shoulder, only for her eyes to widen as the handcuffs around her wrists clanked loudly.

"Wh-hnn..?" she mumbled, looking down at her wrists confusedly. "Where am I?"

"The Castle prison chamber," Chloe responded hesitantly, hand fumbling blindly for the cell door as the brunette's eyes flew up to the princess in surprise, only now seeming to realize the redhead was even there. Chloe held her breath at the piercing steel gaze, fear building in her stomach. The thief's reaction to waking up in a cell was rather unpredictable, and Chloe wasn't so sure about being in there now that the bandit was awake; would she lash out and attack?

In Beca's head, the events of the failed heist slowly came rushing back, and the brunette jolted up at the memory. However, her wound flared with pain under the strenuous movement, and, unable to move her cuffed hands to catch herself, she fell back to the cold cement with a groan.

"And what are you doing in the prison chamber with me, princess?" the thief wheezed, her eyes drifting to the ceiling. How the hell was she supposed to make it out of this mess? Turning her head, she raised a brow as her pain-hazed gaze fell upon the bloodied weapon on the floor. "You took the arrow out of my shoulder?"

Chloe was still moving back slowly away from the thief, ready to slip out the door at any sudden movement. Why had she decided to do this? "Um, yeah, I guess. Look, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come in here; this was a mistake. I can just-"

"How's your wrist?"

Chloe stopped her movements, caught off guard by the question. "Huh?"

"Your wrist," the bandit said again, nodding her head toward her in inquiry. "You fell on it when I pushed you down. Is it okay?"

Chloe couldn't help the scoff that escaped her mouth, her eyes taking in the bandit's weak and bloodied body. "You're asking me if _I'm_ okay?"

The bandit rolled her eyes as she readjusted herself, trying to get comfortable on the cold stone floor. "What, is it against some sort of royalty law to ask about your well-being?"

"No, I just," Chloe paused, shuffling her feet. "You're a bandit. Why do you seem so nice, and like, not all scary and bandity? People keep saying you're some notorious dangerous criminal, but ever since I ran into you you've been surprisingly nice."

"What do you mean, nice?"

"Well, you saved me from getting hit with an arrow," Chloe pointed out, letting go of the door and cautiously kneeling back down a few feet away from the Bella. "And now you're asking me how I am."

The bandit rolled her eyes. "I'm not being _nice_, I'm being a normal considerate person. Anyone with a conscious would do those kind of things princess."

"My name is Chloe," the redhead corrected, having never enjoyed being called by her royal title.

"I can't call you princess?"

"No," Chloe insisted. "I don't like it."

"But you _are _the princess of Barden, right?"

"What's your name?" the redhead deflected quickly.

"Not going to tell you that."

"Why not?"

Beca smirked. "Can't give away my identity to the enemy, my dear."

Chloe huffed, looking thoughtful. After a few moments she commented, "Are we really enemies though? I mean, we haven't really done anything bad to each other."

Beca raised a skeptical brow at the redhead. "You realize I'm in a cage, right?"

"That was mostly my dad's doing," Chloe defended weakly.

"Still," the bandit sighed. "How do you know I'm not going to kill you as soon as you turn your back?"

Despite the shiver that ran down Chloe's spine at the sentence, the redhead stood her ground. "Well, because... I don't think you would. You're a human with a conscience, remember?"

"Are you actually trying to make friends with a castle prisoner?" Beca inquired, wondering why the princess had even decided to come into her cell and converse with her in the first place, especially after she had tried to steal from her castle. "Is this something you do often, or am I just that special?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "I'm not, I'm just trying to be civil. I'm a naturally friendly person. Besides, I only came in here to remove that arrow from your shoulder; I didn't even think you'd wake up."

"Are you sure your wrist's okay?" the bandit cut in, her eyes having fallen to the redhead's hands where she had absentmindedly began rubbing her sore wrist.

"Oh, yeah it's fine. Just aches a bit," Chloe admitted hesitantly, her voice falling to a mutter as she glanced down at her injury.

"Lemme see it," Beca mumbled, doing her best to sit up as she reached for Chloe's wrist. The redhead was hesitant, but she let the brunette take her wrist after a moment, surprised by the thief's gentleness and soft calloused hands. A shiver went down Chloe's spine as the Bella's fingers ghosted over the swollen skin, and it took her a moment to realize something was amiss...

"Hey! What happened to your handcuffs?!"

"What handcuffs?"

Chloe scowled. "You know what handcuffs! Where did-... How did you get them off?!"

Beca dangled the metallic cuffs teasingly in front of Chloe, smirking. "Trade secret, princess."

"I don't think thievery is a trade. You sure you're not a magician?" Chloe quipped, snatching the handcuffs back as she quickly moved to grab Beca's wrists. She was mildly surprised however, when the thief didn't put up any sort of fight; the brunette even went so far as to help the princess get them onto her when she realized the movements were straining Chloe's wrists.

"There, satisfied?" Beca asked, waving her securely cuffed wrists for emphasis.

"Just keep them on please," Chloe sighed, standing. Though she didn't think the bandit would bring her any harm, she still wasn't too comfortable being in the cell with her when she could so easily get her cuffs off.

"Why, so your father can execute me without any hassle?" the thief grumbled resignedly, carefully lying back down with a small pained grunt. "You may not want to hurt me, but I know the king and his men wouldn't hesitate to behead me."

"They won't. At least, not for awhile," Chloe reassured. "You _did _rob us. They need to figure out what to do with you."

"Such comforting words, princess."

"Stop calling me that," the redhead huffed, opening the cell door and slipping out. "I don't like it."

"Sorry princess."

Chloe's eyes narrowed at the bandit's cheeky smirk, her hands moving to lock the door. "If you trust that I'm not going to hurt you, then why can't I get your name?"

"Trust is a big word," the bandit retorted simply. "A bandit trusts no one."

"Fine, I'll just call you the criminal that tried to steal from us," Chloe retorted, rolling her eyes.

"The princess and the criminal? That sounds like some stupid movie reference."

"What?"

"Nevermind."

Chloe moved to hang the key back on the hook by the entrance, grabbing the door. She knew she'd been gone way too long by now, and her father was no doubt going interrogate her on her whereabouts. She was halfway out the door when she heard the bandit call out behind her.

"Beca."

"What?" the redhead stopped, poking her head back in. The Bella was staring up blankly at the ceiling now, her steel eyes analyzing the cracks in the cement almost contemplatively.

"My name is Beca," she repeated, a bit more hesitant than the first time. "Don't make me regret telling you."

"Beca," Chloe repeated, trying the name on her lips. "That's a nice name."

The brunette's eyes flickered over to the redhead. "Thanks, I guess."

Despite the circumstances, the princess had to fight off the small smile threatening to stretch across her face. "It was nice talking to you Beca," Chloe admitted hesitantly, her hand on the doorknob. Though the bandit seemed to enjoy annoying her and taunting her, it seemed more playful than malicious, and Beca's cockiness came across much more teasingly than Tom's pure unrelenting arrogance.

The bandit simply nodded curtly in response. "Likewise," she mumbled, watching with an unreadable expression as Chloe backed out of the room and shut the door quietly. Once the princess was gone Beca sighed, stretching out on her back as best she could without straining her shoulder as she returned to staring blankly at the ceiling.

Why had she let herself get caught? She wasn't too concerned yet; she knew the Bellas would probably already be devising a plot to sneak her out before any harm came to her, but it was rather inconvenient, and while she could probably sneak out of the cell on her own, it was probably best to wait for her group instead of attempting a solo break out.

Her shoulder was a dull throbbing now, no longer the searing pain it had been before, and though she hadn't really said it, she was quite thankful to the redhead for taking the arrow out. She couldn't understand the princess' reasoning for doing it; why be conversational and nice to a prisoner that had tried to rob her father? Was she trying to trick the brunette into revealing information on the Bellas? While the redhead seemed harmless, she knew that a lot of people were not always what they seemed, no matter how innocent they came across. For now, Beca would simply tread cautiously around anyone in the castle, at least until she knew who was trustworthy. She would keep her guard up so not to reveal any vital information about the Bellas, including around Chloe.

With this thought in mind, Beca let her eyes drift shut with a sigh. There was nothing much left to do but lie there.

* * *

**A/N: A bit of a long chapter. Sorry if you don't like that; the bechloe interaction scene got away from me a bit:/**

**Random question for you: who's your favourite band/artist? I know that's always a hard question to answer; I always struggle when I get asked it xD Sooo many good ones, I can't choose! I think I could narrow it down to All Time Low, The Maine, or The Script, if I absolutely had to. Gosh I love music:3 What about you? Who's your favourite band/artist? Can you pick just one? I wanna know:D**

**REVIEW RESPONSES:**

**blue-wasabi24: Hmm yeah, that makes sense. Oh well, you and your bro still got a cool name from the place, and that was free:P Huh, you don't like pancakes? I don't think I've met someone who doesn't like them before xD I can respect that tho. Unique taste, eh? :P**

**Defying-gravy: Plenty of bechloe interaction in this chapter haha; hope it didn't disappoint:3**

**Kartoffel: Hope you liked the bechloe interaction in this chapter:3 Hot dogs and pancakes? For serious? I've _never_ heard that one before xD Kinda curious now. Like, they use a pancake as a bun? Or like, cut up hot dog in it? I'm kinda tempted to try this now:P Oh the possibilities.**

**YouJustGotPitchSlapped: You were right about her imprisonment:) Hope you liked this chapter. Nutella and sugar on pancakes actually sounds good; just add some peanut butter and you could have some kind of Reese's pancakes:3 Salt and pancakes sounds a bit odd though, I agree. Your poor tastebuds xP**

**Reda V: Haha, was that enough bechloe interaction for you? Hopefully it wasn't too horrible xP And I'm glad you like my random questions; it's kinda become a trademark thing for me, so it's nice to know it's not annoying or anything:P**

**lucakutya: Sorry for the wait; hope this chapter lived up to your expectations:3**

**Snow White Misery: Hope this chapter didn't disappoint:3 Ooh, you like lots of fruit on your pancakes/french toast/waffles by the sound of it:P Sweet (no pun intended). I'm not much of a fruit eater myself, so I guess I'll just have to take your word for it when you say it's good:3**

**Ezri Dax: Hope this chapter was okay; I'm quite iffy on it, but I'm tired of struggling with it xP Lemon and sugar on pancakes? Why lemon? Wouldn't that taste sour? I guess I can't judge too much haha; I've probably done much weirder things with my food xP Ooh, British:D Does that mean you have an awesome british accent?**

**RadforR: Ooh, jam or jelly:O I've never thought to do that (which is odd, cuz I've had pancakes with peanut butter before, heh). I might have to try that:)**

**cxcxcx386: Haha ohh, I'm interested to hear what your headcanon was for the continuation:3 Hopefully this chapter wasn't a disappointment in comparison to your (most likely awesome) headcanon for it haha. And Yes! Aubrey has been confirmed now! I was so happy to it:3 I'm glad you like my questions too; it's kinda become my trademark thing of sorts, so you can expect them often xP Hmm, honey; I never thought to put that on pancakes before:O Sounds quite yummy! I agree though, pancakes take a lot of work. Ain't nobody got time for that:P**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This chapter's a bit longer than I thought it was. Sorry if it's a bit uneventful.**

**DISCLAIMER: Nah brah. I do not own it. All I own is a worn out pair of converse and a half-eaten box of Froot Loops (which I also don't own).**

* * *

Beca groaned as a metal-clad boot collided with her stomach again, her already-bruised torso screaming in protest. She barely had time to cross her arms over her aching midsection before she was kicked again, the force rolling her to splay out on her back with a pained wheeze.

"I'm not gonna ask you again, thief," the guard hissed, grinding his heel into the Bella's wounded shoulder. "Where is the rest of your group? Where are they hiding? Some sort of home base?"

"Eat dirt," Beca ground out, doing her best to ignore the unbearable pain flaring through her arrow wound. The guard growled in fury, and the bandit got a small moment's relief when the man removed his foot from her shoulder, only for him to bring it down again, stomping on it. The Bella's vision danced with dark spots from the excruciating pain, but she refused to cry out, a mere quiet whimper escaping her throat as her eyes burned with tears.

"C'mon Bump, I don't think she's gonna blab anything," the second guard, Donald, spoke up as Bumper raised his foot again.

"She will if I beat it out of her," he retorted hotly.

"No, you're just gonna knock her out. We can try again later. Maybe use different methods," Donald tried to reason, putting his hand calmingly on the other man's shoulder. Bumper huffed, stepping back.

"Fine. I'll be back though," he threatened at Beca again. As an afterthought, he moved forth, launching one last parting kick to her ribs. However, this time the bandit was prepared, and she grabbed his foot with her cuffed hands, yanking. The guard, not expecting the move, was pulled off his feet, falling back with a thud, and Beca used his moment of vulnerability to swing her own foot up, socking him square in the mouth with her booted heel. Ignoring the pain in her body, she moved to twist the man's leg in her grip, a rather high pitched screech escaping Bumper's throat before she drove her foot into his face again.

It was then that the other guard intervened, launching forth and delivering a swift powerful kick to the back of the angry bandit's skull. The force of the blow knocked Beca unconscious, her grip going slack on Bumper's leg, and the guard frantically thrashed away, allowing Donald to help him up. Bumper wasted no time scrambling out of the prison cell, shouting a string of colourful curses as he clutched his nose, and Donald gave the unconscious prisoner a small nudge with his foot before following the other guard out, locking the jail cell behind him with a resounding clang.

* * *

"I can't believe that ding-a-ling almost shot you! How reckless!"

Chloe couldn't help the smile that adorned her face as Aubrey paced the kitchen, the tiled floor making soft clicks beneath her shoes. She was recapping what had occurred the night before to her blonde best friend, needing someone to hear her side of the story, and while she knew Aubrey would get rowled up with the story, the cook looked about ready to crack someone's head off; the princess found it somewhat amusing.

"Bree calm down, I'm totally fine. The bandit saved me, remember?"

Aubrey stopped her pacing, facing the redhead. "Yeah, but I don't know how I feel about this criminal either. What was her name, Bacon? What if she's just trying to get you to trust her so she can get you while your guard's down?"

Chloe couldn't help but giggle. "Her name was _Beca_. And I really doubt that. _I_ was the one to go in there and start talking to _her_, remember? If she really wanted to 'get' me, why wouldn't she just do it when I was in there with her?"

"She was injured. She was probably too weak to take you," Aubrey pointed out, pausing when the oven timer beeped shrilly. She hurriedly made her way over to the oven, continuing to speak over the timer. "But once she gets a bit of time to recuperate and you decide to waltz on into her cell again-"

"Aubrey, that doesn't make sense," Chloe cut off the blonde with the shake of her head, brows furrowed. "Plus, that doesn't explain why she saved me and took the arrow in the first place."

"I'm sure she had some reason," Aubrey responded distractedly, pausing as she quickly peeked inside the oven doors before moving to grab some pot holders. "I just don't think it's a good idea to trust her."

"I'm not asking you to trust her," Chloe defended, watching the cook shuffle around the kitchen with years' worth of familiarity and practice, "and if it makes you feel better, I won't go into her cell anymore."

"That'd probably be best either way," Aubrey said simply, her back to the redhead as she opened oven doors, ignoring the sudden burst of heat as she reached in to grab the pan of freshly baked croissants. After a moment's pause, the blonde sighed, swinging the oven door shut and setting the hot pan down on the counter with a small clatter. She braced herself on the counter, head bowing. "I just want you to be safe, Chlo," she muttered, voice quieter and much less harsh than it had been moments ago.

Chloe's face softened at this, knowing Aubrey's over-protectiveness was simply a result of her concern for the princess' well-being, and Chloe moved around the island counter to pull Aubrey in for a hug, being wary of the hot pan on the counter. "I know Bree, and I really appreciate it."

Aubrey sighed, turning and letting her arms wrap around her best friend. "If she hurts you..."

"I know," Chloe repeated softly, patting Aubrey's back in what she hoped was reassurance. "And if she hurts me I give you full permission to go at her with a meat grinder. I honestly don't think she will though." The blonde's mouth curved slightly at this from over Chloe's shoulder; however, as quick as it appeared it was gone, and Aubrey shook her head slowly, biting her lower lip in thought.

"Okay fine, I trust your judgement," Aubrey resigned after a few more moments, pulling away gently. "But I don't have to trust _her_. I still don't like her."

"Noted," the redhead chuckled. "As long as you don't poison her food or something."

"Well so far they haven't told me to prepare anything for her," Aubrey informed her friend, carefully pushing the pan further back so not to burn herself before moving to lean against the counter. The princess raised a brow at the cook's words.

"Wait, what? They're _supposed_ to have something prepared for her, even if it's just something small," Chloe mused, following Aubrey's lead as she leaned against the counter beside the blonde. "They can't just keep her locked up and not feed her, she'll starve."

"I know," Aubrey said, fiddling with her apron. "Technically they're _required_ to provide sustenance to the prisoners during their imprisonment. I haven't been asked to prepare anything though. At least, nothing for her," the blonde said regretfully. This definitely wasn't the first time the castle had conveniently forgotten to provide nourishment to its captives, but Aubrey wasn't about to tell Chloe that.

The redhead pressed her lips together thoughtfully, feet shuffling. "Maybe we should-"

"No."

"I didn't even finish my sentence!"

"You don't have to, I know what you're going to say. And as much as I disagree with the castle's choices, I'm not going to risk my life going against the king to feed a prisoner," Aubrey explained, shaking her head sorrowfully. "If I were to get caught... I would lose my job, at the very least. I could be thrown into the prison myself. Maybe even beheaded."

Chloe nodded slowly in understanding, chewing her lip. "Well... what if I just took her something? They can't do anything to me, and if any of the guards try to stop me I can always just say my dad told me to."

Aubrey looked reluctant. "I don't know Chloe..."

"Please, Bree? I promise I won't let any blame fall on you," the redhead pleaded. "I'll say I just stole something from the kitchen while you were busy doing your job. My dad already knows what kind of mischief I'm capable of getting into."

The blonde's lip quirked up slightly at this in amusement, understanding Chloe's mischievous side quite well after many years of knowing the redhead. However, Aubrey still held a face of reluctance. "Why are you so determined to feed this criminal anyway?" she asked slowly, nudging her shoulder against Chloe's.

Chloe smiled at this, gently returning Aubrey's nudge playfully before she lowered her gaze, shrugging. "Because, I dunno. Just, even though she's a thief and stuff, she saved my life and was more pleasant to me than most of the snobby royal people I have to deal with. She's human too. A good one. And... I wanna be a good person too, not one of the stuck up princesses that only care about themselves."

Aubrey bit her lip contemplatively, the gears turning in her head. After a few more moments she let out an exaggerated sigh, turning her back to the kitchen. "Ten seconds."

"What?" Chloe asked confusedly, straightening up.

"I'm not going to _see_ anything because it all happened when my back was turned. Hurry and grab something," the blonde explained, crossing her arms as she stared down at the perfectly shaped croissants in front of her.

Chloe grinned widely at her best friend's back, beginning to head toward the cupboards. "You're the best, Bree," she said gratefully, shuffling quickly about the kitchen. Though Aubrey had stated the time limit, she waited patiently as Chloe dug around, absentmindedly scanning the croissants for any flaws that may be noticeable as she heard the princess opening drawers and cupboards behind her. Eventually Chloe settled on some simple cheese and bread, grabbing a knife as well as a loaf of bread and a block of cheese.

"Please wash your hands!" Aubrey spoke up once she heard the princess' plans, knowing if she didn't say anything Chloe would simply hack into the food without a second thought. She heard the redhead giggle sheepishly, but she obeyed, the tap getting flicked on for a short moment.

Once Chloe had gotten a few chunks of bread and cheese slices bagged in a brown paper bag, she hurriedly tidied the small mess she'd made, not wanting to leave a mess in her organized best friend's kitchen. When she was finally finished she launched an appreciative hug at Aubrey, grateful for all her best friend had done and was still doing for her.

"You're such a good friend, Bree," Chloe said softly. "I don't know where I'd be without you."

The blonde, who had had her back to Chloe, was caught off guard by the arms suddenly around her torso, but she soon turned in Chloe's arms to return the hug, chuckling lightly. "Getting into all sorts of trouble, no doubt," Aubrey jokingly responded, her lips quirking upward. "You're a pretty good friend too, Chloe. Don't go all soft on me now though. You have something you need to do, preferably while I'm not looking."

The redhead giggled, releasing the cook with a nod and mock salute. Then, grabbing the bag off the counter, she headed out to the hallway. So quick to exit, Chloe missed the small grin Aubrey harbored when she realized the princess had cleaned up after herself, the kitchen as spotless as it had been when the blonde had turned her back. It was such a small gesture, almost an unnoticeable thing, but Aubrey felt touched nonetheless, knowing it was something no other royal would do. Most, if not all, would prefer to leave their messes for their servants to clean up, but Chloe was not like most of the snobby rich upper class people, - this whole bandit situation was definitely a good example of this - and the blonde couldn't help but feel grateful that she had made friends with someone as pure and considerate as Chloe Beale.

* * *

Chloe quickly made her way through the castle's maze of hallways, food bag clutched tightly in her hand. She was grateful the hallways were rather empty, and she made her way across the palace without a hitch.

As the princess neared the prison chambers, she slowed her steps as she heard voices approaching, most likely a couple of guards. While Chloe didn't really need to worry about anyone but Prince Tom and her father - who she knew for a fact were both in the grand hall right now - she still did not feel like running into anyone so close to the prison area, and she rushed around the nearest corner to hide as they approached.

"She's gonna pay," Chloe heard one man growl, his voice sounding nasally. "I think that bitch broke my fucking nose."

"And we didn't even get any answers from her," a second voice added, sounding exasperated. "The king's gonna be upset our questioning didn't-"

"I don't give two shits about the king right now, my _nose_ is fucking **_broken!_**" the first guard cut in, apparently not liking his partner's lack of empathy. "I knew that stupid bandit girl was nothing but trouble."

Bandit girl? Chloe's stomach dropped at this. Did they mean Beca? Why would Beca have broken a guard's nose during questioning? Or more importantly, how? As far as Chloe knew, the guards were supposed to stand outside the cell for questioning.

Now confused and curious, Chloe anxiously darted down the hallway as soon as the guards had rounded the corner, cushioning her footfalls so not to be heard. She didn't hesitate in front of the big door that led to the prison chambers, pushing straight through.

"Beca?" she called, eyes landing on the brunette's form on the floor. The bandit appeared to be sleeping, and Chloe took a few steps closer, absentmindedly wringing the rolled up part of the bag in her hands.

"Beca? Are you awake? I brought you something to eat. It's nothing much, just some bread and cheese. I didn't know if you had..." but the redhead trailed off, eyes widening as she got close enough to see the blood dripping down the brunette's face from both her nose and a deep gash in her forehead. The red liquid seeped down her skin in solid rippled lines, and the bag of food fell to the floor with a soft crinkling noise as Chloe stepped closer to the cell, brows furrowed in confusion and bewilderment as her hands wrapping tightly around the iron bars. What had _happened?_

"Beca?" she called out, louder this time, in hopes of the brunette hearing her and coming to. She gritted her teeth when she received no response, tapping her fingers anxiously against the bars. Then, without a moment's hesitance, she whirled around to swipe the key off the nail, her statement to Aubrey completely blanking from her mind as she unlocked the bandit's cell and slipped in.

* * *

**A/N: Ugh. UGH. This chapter irritated me. Mostly the friend!Chaubrey scene. I just could. Not. Get it. Meh.**

**So I've got a random question for you guys. If you could master any instrument, what would it be? I think I'd definitely choose a guitar; I've taught myself a little bit with the guitar, but I'm nowhere near awesome with it or anything. Meh xD What about you? ANY instrument at all, if you could master one, what would it be? I is curious:{3**

**REVIEW RESPONSES:**

**lucakutya: Lol how did you know? :{P Glad you liked; hopefully this chapter was okay too, heh.**

**YouJustGotPitchSlapped: Ah, sounds like you've got a pretty wide interest in terms of music variety then; that's always a good thing:{P Not much Bechloe interaction in this chapter, but hopefully you still enjoyed it somewhat:{3 **

**blue-wasabi24: Mmkay, so I checked out that band, and they actually sound pretty awesome:{O Very nice sound; I approve! Thanks for introducing me to them dude:{3**

**Kartoffel: Hmm, the pancake as a bun thing actually sounds like a cool idea. The egg and hot chocolate thing though... What even...? Does it make it taste better? Does the egg cook into it? I'd think it'd be slimy:{/ I don't understaaaand!**

**Defying-Gravy: Glad you liked! Not as much Bechloe in this chapter, but hopefully you still enjoyed it:{3**

**ballpointmf: Thanks; will definitely keep it going:{3**

**Ezri Dax: Heh, dude I love British accents! They're super cool and cute x3 Ah, did I have the King sounding all informal and such? Dang xD I don't really have anything to base a royal setting on, so I'm kinda doing it with what feels right and such, so I apologize if anything doesn't seem to fit into the formal, royal setting like it should xD I shall try to be more careful in the future. Hmm, an arrow to the shoulder... I suppose now that I think about it, it probably would be a bit more painful/bloody than I portrayed. I originally imagined in my head that the wound wasn't _too_ deep, considering Tom's sloppy firing, but I guess it would have to be, with the arrow being actually embedded in her (not to mention she was still shot straight on with the arrow). Darn you and your logic xP Haha kidding; thank you for pointing it out to me dude. I definitely need someone to call me out on these kind of things. You're aca-awesome:{3**

**jasmine allgeyer: Thanks haha; I will definitely add more ;{P (I know your username has a dot in there, but it keeps deleting it cuz it thinks you're a web address, so xP)**

**KSpecial: Heh, sorry. I mean... *sweats*. Ah, I'm just used to apologizing in case the chapter sucks or isn't up to par or something xP I'm glad you're enjoying it though; thank you. Your review amused me:{P**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Ugghh, these last few days have sucked! I'm swamped with things I need to write, and I broke my Bella headphones D}': Whyyy meee.**

**Just a sidenote to anyone that has this story on their story alerts, I'm going back and making some minor changes to the previous chapters in terms of consistent capitalization and such; I'll be doing that the same time I post this, so if you got a few email notifications for it, that's why:{3 Dunno if you'd get a bunch of notifications for that or not, but thought I'd tell you guys anyway.**

**DISCLAIMER: Why no, I don't own Pitch Perfect. How dare you ask me such a thing, how rude:{O**

* * *

_A ten year old Beca giggled as Stacie playfully shoved her, light smiles grazing both young girls' faces. The two sisters were sitting atop a grassy hill that overlooked the town of Barden - the hill being their own secret area they had stumbled across one day when fooling around in the forest, - and the sun was setting off to their right, painting the sky into a beautiful canvas of oranges and reds._

_"Okay hotshot, if you think you've mastered the art," Stacie said teasingly, nodding her head toward the sunset, "tell me what time it is, right now."_

_"Okay, I will," Beca responded confidently, puffing out her chest. She moved her gaze to peer over at the sun, shielding her eyes with her hand lazily - rule number one of 'sun position time-telling,' do **not** look at the sun directly; Beca had learned that the hard way. "Umm... it's..."_

_"Keep in mind what season it is," Stacie reminded quietly. Beca nodded._

_"It's, uh..." The younger girl squinted, trying to gauge the sun's position as she had been shown. "Hmmm... Eight thirtyish?"_

_"Not too bad, Bec," Stacie praised with a proud smile, tackling her sister in an affectionate hug as she began ruffling up Beca's brunette hair. "I told you you'd get it."_

_"Ah, stop it!" Beca laughed incredulously, attempting to wiggle free from the older girl's hold as she batted at Stacie's hands. "Taze, cut it out!" But Stacie didn't relent, laughing play-maniacally as Beca squirmed._

However, the young brunette was suddenly ripped from her memory as consciousness took over, her sister's warm and protecting arms fading around her as the soft cool grass melted away into cold hard concrete. Pain erupted throughout her body, the worst being the pulsating sharpness through her shoulder, and Beca let out a broken gasp at the sudden excruciating pain. It took her muddled brain a moment to register the figure looming over her, their hair no longer the familiar brunette locks of her sister, but a bright and fiery red. As she felt the cold biting metal around her wrists, awareness came rushing back to the brunette like a tidal wave, washing out the last of the warmth the grassy hill had brought her. The remnants of her dream disintegrated away into harsh reality, and a pained groan rumbled through Beca's chest.

"Oh good," the princess breathed in relief, leaning back from her curious hover position over the bandit. "I thought you were dead or something."

"What difference would it make to you if I was?" Beca questioned weakly, coughing. Chloe's brows furrowed in concern at this, picking up on the agony lacing the bandit's strained voice.

"What happened to you anyway?" the princess asked, eyes going to the half-dried blood streaks on the brunette's face. "You look like a bloody mess."

"Your royal bozos happened," the brunette informed her.

"The guards?" Chloe asked, mouth going dry as the bandit confirmed her suspicions. "But... they aren't supposed to hurt you! They aren't even supposed to come into the cell, they're just supposed to... _verbally _question you."

Beca chuckled darkly at this. "Welcome to the real world, princess."

The redhead bit her lip, silently wondering what other secrets the kingdom was running right under her nose. As much as she hated to think about it, she knew these kind of things would have to be her father's doing; the castle wouldn't move a finger unless one of the royals commanded it first, and it was likely the queen was just as clueless to what was really going on in the castle as Chloe was. Mrs. Beale would no doubt be just as appalled as her daughter had been to discover such things were happening - neglecting to feed the prisoner, the violent qustionings - and Chloe knew her mother would not stand for it if she caught word of it.

Fucking hell," Beca ground out, snapping the redhead from her thoughts. "My- ugh." The jangling of Beca's handcuffs echoed through the prison chamber as the brunette reached up to gingerly touch her bloodied shoulder, teeth gritted tightly. The injury looked as if it had been wrapped with a strip of fabric from Beca's tunic - most likely the bandit's own handiwork - but the wound seemed to be bleeding again from being roughed up by the guards, fresh blood seeping through the makeshift bandage and soaking the thief's already-bloodied clothes. Beca let out a shaky wheeze, stubborn tears of pain prickling the corners of her eyes as black spots once again danced in her vision.

"That looks really bad," Chloe noted, grimacing at the suffering girl before her. "Maybe I could bandage it for you." The brunette didn't respond, looking about ready to pass out again from the unbearable pain, and the redhead quickly got to her feet, shuffling out of the cell and locking it hurriedly. "I'll be right back," she threw over her shoulder as she left the prison chamber, leaving the half-conscious bandit lying on the stone cold floor of her cell.

* * *

Chloe quickly burst into the empty infirmary, her eyes darting around calculatingly before she strode across the room and opened the big cabinet. As she shuffled through various medical supplies, she tensed as she heard the door open behind her.

"Princess, I thought I saw you come in this door," the familiar masculine voice of Tom rang out, and the redhead sighed quietly, not in the mood to put up with the arrogant prince. Ignoring Tom, Chloe continued to dig in the cabinet, grabbing a few bandages and some disinfectant.

Tom took in his surroundings, cocking his brow, and when he realized he wasn't going to get a response he spoke up again. "What are you doing in the infirmary? Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Chloe answered distractedly, grabbing a few more objects.

"Your father is nice," Tom started casually, taking a few steps forward to stand behind the princess. "He seems to believe we would be good together."

Chloe said nothing at this, the only sign she'd even heard him being the momentary pause of her hand as she reached for a roll of thread. Tom didn't seem to notice Chloe's tense posture, as he slowly reached out to run his hand down her arm before bringing it to rest on her shoulder. Chloe tried to shrug him off, but he ignored her, keeping his hand in place.

"I think we would be good together too," Tom spoke again, lip quirking as his hand slid down the redhead's back. "I mean, you're pretty good looking, and we're both royalty and all. You could be my queen." As the prince's hand journeyed lower, Chloe huffed indignantly, shoving his hand away.

"Stop it. I'm not interested, Tom," she growled, glaring at him.

"What? Why not?" the prince spoke incredulously, unable to fathom why someone wouldn't want to be with him. "I'm the prince, _and_ I'm hot. Most people would be thrilled to have this opportunity." It was obvious he wasn't used to being rejected, and Chloe rolled her eyes at his arrogance as she began quickly shoving all the supplies she'd grabbed into a bag so she could leave; she didn't want to be in his presence any longer than she needed to. However, to her chagrin Chloe's movements were paused when Tom grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

"Tom, let go," she spoke, narrowing her eyes.

"Princess-"

"_Don't_ call me that," she snapped back almost instantly, finding she hated the sound of that title leaving his lips a lot more than it bothered her when it left Beca's.

Tom furrowed his brows. "Fine, Chloe. I just think that we'd be good together, you know? A lot of people would kill to be with me, but I'm choosing you."

Chloe scoffed incredulously, yanking her hand from Tom's grip. "You're so full of yourself, thinking your God's gift to the world or something and that any girl should consider themselves lucky to get a chance with you. Did it ever occur to you that some people just don't want to be with you?"

Tom's jaw clenched as he took a step back, and Chloe took advantage of the prince's stunned silence to quickly grab her bag of first aid supplies, striding past Tom and pushing out the door without looking back.

* * *

Chloe entered the prison chamber quietly, glancing around to make sure no guards were around before speaking.

"Beca? Are you awake?"

There was a moment of silence.

"No," a familiar voice answered raspily.

Chloe's lip quirked upward in amusement, moving to approach the bandit's cell. "How are you feeling?" the redhead asked, her hand wrapping around one of the cell's bars as she peered in.

"Like I've been hit by a boat," Beca groaned.

"A boat?"

"Don't question it."

Chloe didn't hesitate to grab the cell key, quickly letting herself in before kneeling next to the brunette. "I brought some first aid supplies," the princess informed Beca, setting the bag in her hand down on the stone floor. "Thought I could fix you up a bit, if you wanted me to that is."

The thief eyed the bag warily. "And why should I trust you?"

Chloe raised a challenging brow. "Have I given you any reason not to trust me so far?"

Beca hummed in response. She had to admit, so far the princess had been oddly pleasant to her, giving her no real reason to doubt the redhead. Not to mention the fact that, during Beca's 'questioning', one of the many inquiries the guards had made was about her identity; the princess hadn't told them her name, and while it didn't make Chloe 100 percent trustworthy, she at least knew the redhead wasn't going back and blabbing everything to the kingdom.

Beca was broken from her thoughts as the redhead began rummaging through the bag, pulling out bandages, disinfectant, and a few cloths. "I think your shoulder should probably be taken care of first. And then maybe that gash on your head," Chloe explained, uncorking the lid on the disinfectant bottle.

"Heh, uhh wait," the thief spoke quickly, watching with wide eyes as Chloe soaked one of the cloths with strong-smelling liquid. "Doesn't that shit hurt? Like, a _l__ot?_"

Chloe hummed, giving the bandit a sheepish look before gently shoving a clean cloth in Beca's mouth. "You might wanna bite down on this," the redhead said, and the brunette didn't have time to react before she felt a white hot pain shoot through her shoulder. Beca's teeth clamped down tightly on the cloth in her mouth, but to the thief's credit she didn't scream, the loudest sound escaping her throat being a strained whimper.

Eventually the searing pain slowly faded off, leaving a dull aching throb in its wake. Dazed, the bandit glanced over at her shoulder with wet eyes to see what other torturous thing Chloe was going to do, only to see her shoulder was already cleaned up and securely bandaged. The redhead was currently pulling Beca's bloody tunic back up over her bandage job, and she offered the brunette a small smile.

"Just covering this back up so no one notices the bandages and wonders where you got them," Chloe explained herself, quickly tying Beca's bloody makeshift bandage back into place. "Does it feel better now?"

Beca pushed the cloth from her mouth with her tongue. "Well it doesn't feel like I'm being stabbed with a hot iron sword anymore."

Chloe offered an apologetic grin as she soaked a fresh cloth in disinfectant, setting it off to the side. Then without warning she carefully lifted Beca's head, scooting closer so she could set the brunette's head onto her lap; she didn't seen to mind at this point if her dress got dirt or blood on it. Ignoring Beca's questioning look, she picked the cloth back up and began to gently clean the streaks of blood from the brunette's face. "I know it hurts to clean it, but I don't want it to get infected. Or for you to get that mysterious illness going around, I doubt that would turn out well."

"Eh, yeah I guess," Beca mumbled, chewing her lip as she stared up at the princess' vibrant concentrating stare. Chloe's eyes were probably the bluest eyes the bandit had ever seen, and she didn't even realize she had stopped breathing until she gasped as Chloe reached the gash on her head. Sharp pain rippled through the wound, bringing more stubborn tears to Beca's eyes because of its location, and though it wasn't anywhere near the pain level of her shoulder, it still hurt like hell - not to mention she had been caught a tad off guard.

"It's okay, almost done," Chloe reassured, absentmindedly beginning to stroke Beca's hair in an attempt to comfort her as she quickly finished wiping off the injury. "Talk to me some more, maybe? Take your mind off it."

"Uh, w-why did you say cleaning it would prevent the mysterious illness?" Beca asked the first thing that came to mind, staring up at Chloe's focused look in attempt to take her mind off the pain.

The redhead quickly dabbed some herbal numbing remedy onto the injury before grabbing the needle and thread from the bag, being sure not to let Beca see it. "Because the mysterious illness is when you bleed black blood, right?"

"Yeah, and?"

"Well the illness only happens when someone gets a pretty serious injury or something, right? Like this arrow wound of yours," Chloe began to explain, "and my theory is that the illness is just some kind of serious infection. It only happens with an open wound, and a deep one at that, so it would be pretty easy for an infection to take over, especially considering a lot of people don't care for their injuries like they should."

"So then how are you supposed to get rid of it? With the Mortix Elixir?" Beca asked, her mind going to what had started this whole fiasco.

"Yeah, I think the elixir is some kind of cleanser, and a strong one at that. And I guess it would have to be, with an infection that's so strong it kills after a week or so. But that must be why nothing else can cure it yet, because nothing's strong enough," Chloe elaborated. She stopped for a moment, biting her lip. She knew the elixir was something the Bellas had targeted in their heist, and they apparently had made it out safely with it when they'd escaped, as it was missing from her father's secret compartment when he'd gone to check. However, while she wanted to ask the Bella leader about it, why they'd decided to steal such a pure and beneficial thing for the townspeople, she seemed to be on Beca's good side at the moment, and she figured she could always ask another time.

Quickly finishing the last knot in her stitching and cutting the thread with a pair of scissors, Chloe patted Beca's uninjured shoulder. "There, you're good as new. Well, kinda."

The brunette eased up into a sitting position, hand going up to feel at her forehead curiously, and surprise lined her features when her fingers ghosted over Chloe's stitch-work. "Why didn't I feel that?"

"A natural numbing remedy made from aconite plant," the redhead explained, beginning to shove the bloody supplies back into the bag. "I used a bit on your shoulder too, but not too much. Hopefully no one will notice the stitching; I used a translucent string, and a thin one at that, so I don't think anyone will think anything of it unless they look closely."

Beca studied the princess for a moment as she finished packing up. "How are you so good with health and first aid stuff?" the bandit asked, genuinely curious. It seemed like a lot more medical knowledge than most royals would contain. "Like, the bandaging, the stitches, your theory on the black blood illness..."

"I uh, I wanted to be a doctor," Chloe explained slowly, giving a small smile to the brunette. "Like, getting to help people, save lives, take away pain and suffering, or even just clean up a child's scraped knee. A doctor is all I ever dreamed of being. But my dad," Chloe's smile faltered slightly, her eyes lowering, "he thinks such a 'low status' career is beneath us, and that I should focus on being the princess. But it's... It isn't even a career, you know? I just, wanna do it. Help people, free of charge." The redhead smiled sadly at this. "He definitely wasn't fond of that idea."

Beca hesitantly moved her hand over Chloe's in what she hoped was a comforting way, the bandit slowly realizing that perhaps the two had more in common than they initially thought. The redhead's lip quirked upward at the gesture.

"For what it's worth, _I_ think your dad's a dick. And you should always be able to follow your dreams, no matter how crazy," the bandit assured. A small laugh escaped Chloe's throat at this.

"Thanks," the princess said, turning her hand to gently grip the bandit's. "Though I do wonder one thing..."

"What's that?"

"How the hell do you keep taking your handcuffs off?" Chloe asked in a more playful than serious manner, lifting their conjoined hands to emphasize the bandit's bare wrist. However, now that she had had more time to talk to the brunette, she wasn't afraid of what Beca could do to her, like she had been the first time the bandit had slipped off her handcuffs; she felt rather indifferent actually.

The brunette stuck her tongue out, snatching her hand back. "Trade secret, princess," Beca replied, smirking.

"Stop calling me that," Chloe rolled her eyes, getting to her feet. "And please put your handcuffs back on. If you get caught without them on they're just gonna get angry."

"But the handcuffs are annoying," Beca huffed.

"If you put them back on I'll give you some food," Chloe offered in a singsong voice, her eyes on the paper bag she had left on the floor earlier. "I know you're hungry."

"Food? What kind of food? Mm, I'll take that deal," the bandit quickly acquiescenced, and Chloe giggled at Beca's eagerness as she almost instantly heard the clicking of he handcuffs. It took the redhead a moment to realize this was the first display of trust Beca had shown her, and though it wasn't a big gesture - the princess was confident Beca could get the handcuffs back off just as easily - the bandit still hadn't questioned her honesty on the deal in any way. Knowing she had gained even a bit of trust from someone as cautious and calculating as Beca was quite satisfying for the bubbly redhead.

With the first aid bag looped on her arm Chloe exited the cell, locking it before reaching over to grab the bag from the floor. She lightly tossed it through the bars, the food bag landing a couple feet in front of Beca, and the bandit grinned as she quickly unrolled the top of the bag, sticking her hand in and digging out a few slices of cheese and fluffy white bread. The redhead watched this with a grin, but after a few seconds her grin took on a sadder turn as she remembered that - while Beca was rather amusing right now, almost purring as she bit into the sandwich she had slapped together - the castle's convenient forgetting to arrange for prisoner's meals was the reason Beca was so hungry in the first place.

"Thanks for the meal, dude. And the medical help," the bandit spoke around a mouth full of food, snapping Chloe from her thoughts. The redhead grinned delightfully.

"No problem. I'm glad I could provide," the princess admitted honestly. "I should probably be leaving now though, I have no idea how long I've been in here. My dad's probably looking for me."

Beca peered up at the small barred window in her cell. "It's only like five twenty, I don't think you've been in here that long," she reassured Chloe casually, taking another bite of her sandwich. The redhead harboured an odd look at this, her hand pausing from hanging the key on the nail.

"Wait, how do you know that?"

"Know what?"

"The time, Beca," Chloe elaborated. "How do you know what time it is, there's no clocks in here."

Beca only shrugged, giving the bewildered redhead a teasing lopsided grin. "Trade secret, princess."

* * *

**A/N: Some more bechloe interaction for you guys. Hope you liked:{3 Honestly not sure what I think of this chapter; I think I could have done a lot better writing-wise, but eh. I'm tired of struggling with it.**

**So I got a random question for you; what is your all time favourite candy? As in, you could never get sick of it cuz it's so awesome? I am curious. Mine would probably have to be taffy; I love taffy:{D Like, laffy taffy, and omg juicy drop taffy *swoons*. Such wonderful chewy deliciousness, I want taffy now:{/ What about you? Have a favourite candy?**

**REVIEW RESPONSES:**

**blue-wasabi24: Lol, dude I'm asian too, but I still can't play an instrument xD I don't have the dedication! I agree though; drums would totes be cool too. Get to have them drummer arms;{D**

**Defying-gravy: It's awesome to hear my story is interesting enough to be worth the wait, cuz I'm not the fastest when it comes to updating xP Great instrument picks by the way; piano or violin would definitely be cool to learn.**

**YouJustGotPitchSlapped: Glad to hear my friend!Chaubrey scene wasn't too horrible or anything:{3 Yes, drums would really be cool to learn too, I agree! All the badassery, plus them drummer arms:{P**

**cxcxcx386: Haha it actually hadn't occurred to me when I posted it that the last chapter was a cliffhanger; now that I think about it, it totes was, but at the time it hadn't crossed my mind cuz that was just where the chapter ended for me xD I'm glad you enjoyed it either way though. Interesting instrument choices by the way; I'd never thought of learning violin, but I agree, that would be cool to learn too. And no, I don't eat my pancakes with honey; I use maple syrup xD I didn't even know honey and pancakes was a thing; sounds very interesting though:{3**

**Reda V: Now you know:{3 Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter!**

**crystalsoda1: Heh, yeah sorry; I'm pretty slow with updates xP It's better than nothing though I guess haha.**

**Eaglehawk: Thanks! Good instrument choices too; guitar and piano are both hella cool:{D**

**percabethatw: Oh wow! 12 instruments, that's hella cool! You must have a lot of dedication dude:{D Hmm, harmonica; I actually wasn't aware you could learn that professionally. I totes bet you could do it though, then you'd have 13 instruments to be awesome at:{P**


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